Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Was John Grimek a monster?
He was certainly the most massively
muscular man on the face of the planet
back in the 1930's and 1940's.
Twice Mr. America -- Mr. Universe
winner -- and undefeated in bodybuilding
competition.
Senior National Weightlifting Champion
and record holder -- member of the USA
Olympic team in 1936 -- member of the USA
World Championship team in 1938 -- Weight-
lifting Champion of North America for
several years.
A man so strong and powerful that he could
MILITARY PRESS 150 percent of his own
bodyweight.
A man with an enormous, seemingly endless
appetite. He once won a 25 cent bet by eating
five full course dinners back to back.
But was he a monster?
I ask the question because one of my long
time readers, Nathan Meyer, just wrote a book
where he comes right out and says it.
Grimek was a monster!
Nathan writes fiction.
He just published a book called ALDWYN'S ACADEMY.
It's a companion novel to A PRACTICAL GUIDE TO
WIZARDRY. Written for young readers because it's
too scary for adults.
So he sends me a copy, and I'm reading it, and
the hero is trapped in an underground cave and the
evil sorceress is after him -- and he's trying to
get away -- and he's being chased by two monstrous
creatures called BUGBEARS.
Their skin is green.
They're seven feet tall.
And very ugly.
"Dark hair bristled in curtains, framing bestial faces,
big pointed ears, and jutting, jagged teeth that looked
like broken daggers as the beasts grinned."
One of them is called SLAKE.
The other is called -- GRIMEK!
"Grimek stepped forward so that his face was visible.
Rubbery lips twisted into a jagged semblance of a smile,
revealing a broken lower tusk.
"I'm hungry, Slake," Grimek growled."
So I ask again -- was Grimek a monster?
At least one of your fellow Dinos seems to think so!
As always, thanks for reading and have a great day. If
you train today, make it a good one!
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can learn more about John Grimek and the other
legendary champions of the Golden Age in my Legacy of
Iron books -- available right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
How to Get One Great Workout After Another!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
Over the past week or so, I've been
giving you a series of articles called
"Strength Training Secrets."
If you missed the first four of the series,
you can find them on the Dinosaur Training
Blog. The link to the Blog is on the home
page of my website -- go to the home page
of the Dinosaur Training website and look
for the link button in the navigation bar
at the top of the page. (It's at the far
right of the navigation bar.)
I put all of my daily email messages on the
Blog, so if you ever miss an email message,
you can find it on the Blog.
Now -- to continue a topic from the last
post in the Strength Training Secrets
series -- let's talk a bit more about a
very important topic: visualization.
In his book, Championship Weightlifting,
two-time Olympic champion and six-time World
Weightlifting Champion Tommy Kono discuses
the importance of visualization for weight-
lifters and other athletes.
He notes that in the early 1970's, the USA
gymnastics team was far behind the teams from
other countries, most of whom had their athletes
practice for 6 to 8 hours per day, performing
hundreds of "reps" of each gymnastic movement.
The American team members were high school and
college athletes, and there just weren't enough
in the day to put in that kind of training.
So their coaches began a special program of
visualization drills, where the athletes simply
sat quietly and watched a mental movie where they
performed each movement over and over.
They spent half their training time on visualization
and half their time on physical drills.
And they improved so rapidly that they amazed all
of their competitors in the World Championships and
the Olympic Games.
Tommy Kono believes that visualization is an
important part of QUALITY TRAINING.
He notes:
"Because of my training alone during my
developmental years in the sport, I unconsciously
went over the lifts in my mind between my reps,
sets, and between my workouts. I was aware of what
was the correct movement. I visualized and even
performed the lifting movements without weights
in some of my spare moments.
Perhaps this was the reason I was able to minimize
my time lifting weights and still showed as much
or even more improvement than those who spent more
time training on the lifting platform than I did."
I cover visualization in detail in Dinosaur Training.
If you have a copy, pull it out and reread the chapters
on the mental aspects of training. If you don't have
a copy, grab one now. Visualization is one of the keys
to getting a great workout -- and getting one great
workout after another is the Royal Road to Strength
Training Success.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Dinosaur Training right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. My other books and courses are right here --
remember that you save on shipping when you order two
or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Over the past week or so, I've been
giving you a series of articles called
"Strength Training Secrets."
If you missed the first four of the series,
you can find them on the Dinosaur Training
Blog. The link to the Blog is on the home
page of my website -- go to the home page
of the Dinosaur Training website and look
for the link button in the navigation bar
at the top of the page. (It's at the far
right of the navigation bar.)
I put all of my daily email messages on the
Blog, so if you ever miss an email message,
you can find it on the Blog.
Now -- to continue a topic from the last
post in the Strength Training Secrets
series -- let's talk a bit more about a
very important topic: visualization.
In his book, Championship Weightlifting,
two-time Olympic champion and six-time World
Weightlifting Champion Tommy Kono discuses
the importance of visualization for weight-
lifters and other athletes.
He notes that in the early 1970's, the USA
gymnastics team was far behind the teams from
other countries, most of whom had their athletes
practice for 6 to 8 hours per day, performing
hundreds of "reps" of each gymnastic movement.
The American team members were high school and
college athletes, and there just weren't enough
in the day to put in that kind of training.
So their coaches began a special program of
visualization drills, where the athletes simply
sat quietly and watched a mental movie where they
performed each movement over and over.
They spent half their training time on visualization
and half their time on physical drills.
And they improved so rapidly that they amazed all
of their competitors in the World Championships and
the Olympic Games.
Tommy Kono believes that visualization is an
important part of QUALITY TRAINING.
He notes:
"Because of my training alone during my
developmental years in the sport, I unconsciously
went over the lifts in my mind between my reps,
sets, and between my workouts. I was aware of what
was the correct movement. I visualized and even
performed the lifting movements without weights
in some of my spare moments.
Perhaps this was the reason I was able to minimize
my time lifting weights and still showed as much
or even more improvement than those who spent more
time training on the lifting platform than I did."
I cover visualization in detail in Dinosaur Training.
If you have a copy, pull it out and reread the chapters
on the mental aspects of training. If you don't have
a copy, grab one now. Visualization is one of the keys
to getting a great workout -- and getting one great
workout after another is the Royal Road to Strength
Training Success.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can find Dinosaur Training right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/dinosaur_training.html
P.S. My other books and courses are right here --
remember that you save on shipping when you order two
or more at the same time:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
"I Got a Story for You!" He Said
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I started the day with an email from a 62 year
old Dinosaur in Cleveland who was excited as heck
about my new book on weightlifting champion John
Davis.
He shared a story he had heard from an old training
partner who had competed in a contest once where
John Davis was one of the lifters.
He didn't compete against John Davis -- John lifted
at Heavyweight, and the reader's friend weighed in
at 148 pounds.
But it was a pretty good story. In fact, it was
something that may never have happened in any
other weightlifting contest in history.
"I thought you might like to put it in the book,"
he said.
Well, he was right.
Because the story was already in the book! I had
read about in an old, old issue of Strength and
Health!
At this point, there's not much about John Davis'
life, lifting and training that is NOT in the
book. And there are things in the book that you've
never seen or read or heard about -- and things
that have never been published before, including
John's EXACT training program from 1940, the year
he won the honor of being the very best weightlifter
pound for pound in the entire world.
Not just the best in his weight class.
The very best lifter on a pound for pound basis
in the entire world. And that covers a heck of a lot
of ground.
I got John's program from his training partner. He
wrote it down on a little note card more than 70
years ago, while he and John were having dinner
together after a hard workout. He kept it ever since.
And now, it's something I'll be able to share with
the rest of you.
And before I forget -- let me mention that the book
is actually a little bigger and a little longer than
I had anticipated. I thought it would weigh in at about
380 to 400 pages. In fact, it's going to be over 450
pages.
But, heck -- if you're writing a book about one of the
greatest weightlifting champions of all time, it deserves
to be a big book.
Right now, I'm offering Black Iron: The John Davis Story
through our standard pre-publication special. The book is
not yet printed -- it will be about 6 or 7 more weeks
before it is printed and shipped to me -- but as soon as
I have it, I'll shoot it on out to everyone who placed
an order.
Everyone who orders during the pre-publication special
gets a bonus with their order -- an 8 x 10 color photo
of John Davis doing what he did best -- lifting some
heavy iron. It will look great right on the wall next
to your squat stands or power rack -- and I guarantee
that it will get you pumped up for some heavy lifting.
If I sound excited about the book, it's because I am.
This one is going to be a real treat for anyone who
appreciates the thrill of grabbing a heavy barbell and
battling against the iron.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can reserve your copy of Black Iron: The John
Davis Story right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
I started the day with an email from a 62 year
old Dinosaur in Cleveland who was excited as heck
about my new book on weightlifting champion John
Davis.
He shared a story he had heard from an old training
partner who had competed in a contest once where
John Davis was one of the lifters.
He didn't compete against John Davis -- John lifted
at Heavyweight, and the reader's friend weighed in
at 148 pounds.
But it was a pretty good story. In fact, it was
something that may never have happened in any
other weightlifting contest in history.
"I thought you might like to put it in the book,"
he said.
Well, he was right.
Because the story was already in the book! I had
read about in an old, old issue of Strength and
Health!
At this point, there's not much about John Davis'
life, lifting and training that is NOT in the
book. And there are things in the book that you've
never seen or read or heard about -- and things
that have never been published before, including
John's EXACT training program from 1940, the year
he won the honor of being the very best weightlifter
pound for pound in the entire world.
Not just the best in his weight class.
The very best lifter on a pound for pound basis
in the entire world. And that covers a heck of a lot
of ground.
I got John's program from his training partner. He
wrote it down on a little note card more than 70
years ago, while he and John were having dinner
together after a hard workout. He kept it ever since.
And now, it's something I'll be able to share with
the rest of you.
And before I forget -- let me mention that the book
is actually a little bigger and a little longer than
I had anticipated. I thought it would weigh in at about
380 to 400 pages. In fact, it's going to be over 450
pages.
But, heck -- if you're writing a book about one of the
greatest weightlifting champions of all time, it deserves
to be a big book.
Right now, I'm offering Black Iron: The John Davis Story
through our standard pre-publication special. The book is
not yet printed -- it will be about 6 or 7 more weeks
before it is printed and shipped to me -- but as soon as
I have it, I'll shoot it on out to everyone who placed
an order.
Everyone who orders during the pre-publication special
gets a bonus with their order -- an 8 x 10 color photo
of John Davis doing what he did best -- lifting some
heavy iron. It will look great right on the wall next
to your squat stands or power rack -- and I guarantee
that it will get you pumped up for some heavy lifting.
If I sound excited about the book, it's because I am.
This one is going to be a real treat for anyone who
appreciates the thrill of grabbing a heavy barbell and
battling against the iron.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. You can reserve your copy of Black Iron: The John
Davis Story right here at Dinosaur Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
Strength Training Secrets (Part 4)
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
(This is part 4 in my on-going series
of articles on Strength Training Secrets.
If you missed parts 1 - 3, you can find
them on the Dinosaur Training Blog.)
"Okay," I said. "I want you to do some
stretching and light calisthenics for a
few minutes, just to get the blood flowing
and your heart beating a little. That's
what we call your General Warm-up. If you
want, you can jump rope for a few minutes
or do some light clean and press or light
power snatches. After that, you'll begin
our actual lifting warm-ups."
"That sounds easy," he said.
"It is," I replied. "And it's supposed to be.
It's a warm-up. But make the most of it by
starting to focus on your lifting. Think about
what you're going to do when you start lifting.
Visualize your entire workout. Break it down
rep by rep and set by set, and see the
whole thing unfolding. It's just like you
were watching a movie of your workout."
"That sounds like hippie stuff," he said. "You
know, like zen Buddhists sitting around and
meditating or something."
"Some of those zen monks were pretty good
athletes," I told him. "Especially the guys in
the Shao Lin temple."
"You mean like kung fu and all?"
"Right. The Eastern martial arts have always
emphasized the mind-body link. And their approach
carries over perfectly for weight training and
weightlifting."
"I didn't know that."
"Well, now you do. But stop talking. I want you to
visualize your workout."
It took a few more gentle reminders, but he finally
managed to be quiet long enough to actually start to
wrap his brain around what he was doing.
"Okay, now do your first warm-up set. 5 reps. But
here's the thing. I want each rep to be PERFECT.
Don't just bounce the bar up and down. We both
know this is a light weight for you, and you can
handle it easily. I want you to handle it PERFECTLY.
And that means, shut out all distractions -- focus --
and concentrate. Use the set as a chance to practice
your mental skills as much as anything else."
"Should I close my eyes or keep them open?"
"Keep them open, but don't look at anything. If you
need to, focus on a spot on the wall. I want your
brain looking inside you. I want you to feel each
rep all the way up and all the way down. Understand
how the muscles contract and in what sequence. Learn
to stay tight. Keep your breathing strong and
powerful."
He did the set. I knew it was different than anything
he'd ever done before.
"How did it feel?" I asked.
"It felt good," he said. "Different. I sort of felt
like I was moving in slow motion."
I shook my head.
"You were actually moving at exactly the right speed,"
I said. "But when you concentrate, everything seems to
slow down."
He nodded slowly. He was starting to understand.
"Ted Williams was the greatest hitter in the history of
baseball," I said. "And part of it was due to his power
of concentration. He said he could see the seams on the
baseball as it came toward him. And that's on a 90 mile
an hour fastball. That's concentration. It's the secret
of any great athlete -- and it's the secret of strength
training."
He nodded again.
"Okay, let me do the next set," he said.
I shook my head.
"No," I said. "Take a minute and visualize it first.
You're going to do 185 pounds for 5 reps. And it's going
to be another PERFECT set."
He nodded, closed his eyes, and began the mental
rehearsal.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading, and keep the feedback coming. I'll
continue with more tomorrow.
If you train today, make it a good one. And remember,
don't just lift with your body -- lift with your mind,
as well.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. When you train with total focus and intense mental
concentration, you get great results in a minimum amount
of time. I cover this in all of my books, courses, and
DVD's -- and you can find them right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
(This is part 4 in my on-going series
of articles on Strength Training Secrets.
If you missed parts 1 - 3, you can find
them on the Dinosaur Training Blog.)
"Okay," I said. "I want you to do some
stretching and light calisthenics for a
few minutes, just to get the blood flowing
and your heart beating a little. That's
what we call your General Warm-up. If you
want, you can jump rope for a few minutes
or do some light clean and press or light
power snatches. After that, you'll begin
our actual lifting warm-ups."
"That sounds easy," he said.
"It is," I replied. "And it's supposed to be.
It's a warm-up. But make the most of it by
starting to focus on your lifting. Think about
what you're going to do when you start lifting.
Visualize your entire workout. Break it down
rep by rep and set by set, and see the
whole thing unfolding. It's just like you
were watching a movie of your workout."
"That sounds like hippie stuff," he said. "You
know, like zen Buddhists sitting around and
meditating or something."
"Some of those zen monks were pretty good
athletes," I told him. "Especially the guys in
the Shao Lin temple."
"You mean like kung fu and all?"
"Right. The Eastern martial arts have always
emphasized the mind-body link. And their approach
carries over perfectly for weight training and
weightlifting."
"I didn't know that."
"Well, now you do. But stop talking. I want you to
visualize your workout."
It took a few more gentle reminders, but he finally
managed to be quiet long enough to actually start to
wrap his brain around what he was doing.
"Okay, now do your first warm-up set. 5 reps. But
here's the thing. I want each rep to be PERFECT.
Don't just bounce the bar up and down. We both
know this is a light weight for you, and you can
handle it easily. I want you to handle it PERFECTLY.
And that means, shut out all distractions -- focus --
and concentrate. Use the set as a chance to practice
your mental skills as much as anything else."
"Should I close my eyes or keep them open?"
"Keep them open, but don't look at anything. If you
need to, focus on a spot on the wall. I want your
brain looking inside you. I want you to feel each
rep all the way up and all the way down. Understand
how the muscles contract and in what sequence. Learn
to stay tight. Keep your breathing strong and
powerful."
He did the set. I knew it was different than anything
he'd ever done before.
"How did it feel?" I asked.
"It felt good," he said. "Different. I sort of felt
like I was moving in slow motion."
I shook my head.
"You were actually moving at exactly the right speed,"
I said. "But when you concentrate, everything seems to
slow down."
He nodded slowly. He was starting to understand.
"Ted Williams was the greatest hitter in the history of
baseball," I said. "And part of it was due to his power
of concentration. He said he could see the seams on the
baseball as it came toward him. And that's on a 90 mile
an hour fastball. That's concentration. It's the secret
of any great athlete -- and it's the secret of strength
training."
He nodded again.
"Okay, let me do the next set," he said.
I shook my head.
"No," I said. "Take a minute and visualize it first.
You're going to do 185 pounds for 5 reps. And it's going
to be another PERFECT set."
He nodded, closed his eyes, and began the mental
rehearsal.
TO BE CONTINUED...
Thanks for reading, and keep the feedback coming. I'll
continue with more tomorrow.
If you train today, make it a good one. And remember,
don't just lift with your body -- lift with your mind,
as well.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. When you train with total focus and intense mental
concentration, you get great results in a minimum amount
of time. I cover this in all of my books, courses, and
DVD's -- and you can find them right here at Dinosaur
Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Championship Thinking
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
I hope you had a great weekend. We
have plenty of things happening here
at Dino Headquarters, and I'll try to
cover them all in emails this week.
And I'll bring you more in the series
of mini-articles I'm doing on "Strength
Training Secrets."
But right now, let's talk a little about
an element of strength training that most
people don't talk about -- or write
about -- or think about. But it's one
the most important elements of strength
training success.
In fact, it's one of the most important
elements of success in anything you choose
to do.
It's called "Turning negatives into positives."
You could also call it, "Championship Thinking."
I'll give you a couple of examples of what I
mean.
1. The Kid with No Squat Stands
A kid named John Grimek trains at home. He has
no squat stands. To work his legs, he has to do
HIGH REP squats with plenty of puffing and
panting. The high rep squats boost his metabolism,
he starts to grow like a weed, and before you
know it, he's one of the best built men in the
world.
He went on to win the Mr. America and Mr. Universe
titles, and to retire from bodybuilding competition
unbeaten -- and rated by many as the greatest
natural bodybuilder of all time.
2. The Punching Bag
A kid named Tommy Kono trains for Olympic
weightlifting in a YMCA where the weight room
is in a recessed area in a room where they train
for boxing. The lifting platform and squat stands
are right next to the speed bag, so all you hear
when you lift is the rat-tat-tat of the boxers
hitting the speed bag. It made it almost
impossible to concentrate when you were
lifting.
What does the kid do?
He uses it as away of developing his powers
of concentration to the point where he could
block out any distraction.
And he went on to be a six-time World champion
and two-time Olympic champion.
3. The Broken Wrist
A young kid named Paul Anderson gets into lifting
and starts to get really big and really strong.
But then he breaks his wrist. That means that
virtually all of his pushing and pulling exercises
are out the door.
So he specializes on squats -- and he ends up
bigger and stronger than ever -- and when his
wrist is healed, he comes back twice as good as
before -- and he wins an Olympic gold medal.
It's an incredibly common story. You see it time
and time again in the lives of the men who became
legends of the Iron Game.
And it's something that YOU can do -- something that
YOU can apply in your own training.
When you encounter an obstacle, don't view it as a
negative. See it for what it truly is -- an
opportunity.
With that mind set -- the same mind set shared by
John Grimek, Tommy Kono and Paul Anderson -- you
can accomplish anything.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. John Davis was another man who overcame seemingly
impossible odds to become the greatest weightlifter
of his generation -- a six time World champion and
two-time Olympic champion. You can read about John
Davis, his life and his lifting -- and how he
trained -- in my new book, BLACK IRON -- THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2 -- You can find my other books and courses
right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
I hope you had a great weekend. We
have plenty of things happening here
at Dino Headquarters, and I'll try to
cover them all in emails this week.
And I'll bring you more in the series
of mini-articles I'm doing on "Strength
Training Secrets."
But right now, let's talk a little about
an element of strength training that most
people don't talk about -- or write
about -- or think about. But it's one
the most important elements of strength
training success.
In fact, it's one of the most important
elements of success in anything you choose
to do.
It's called "Turning negatives into positives."
You could also call it, "Championship Thinking."
I'll give you a couple of examples of what I
mean.
1. The Kid with No Squat Stands
A kid named John Grimek trains at home. He has
no squat stands. To work his legs, he has to do
HIGH REP squats with plenty of puffing and
panting. The high rep squats boost his metabolism,
he starts to grow like a weed, and before you
know it, he's one of the best built men in the
world.
He went on to win the Mr. America and Mr. Universe
titles, and to retire from bodybuilding competition
unbeaten -- and rated by many as the greatest
natural bodybuilder of all time.
2. The Punching Bag
A kid named Tommy Kono trains for Olympic
weightlifting in a YMCA where the weight room
is in a recessed area in a room where they train
for boxing. The lifting platform and squat stands
are right next to the speed bag, so all you hear
when you lift is the rat-tat-tat of the boxers
hitting the speed bag. It made it almost
impossible to concentrate when you were
lifting.
What does the kid do?
He uses it as away of developing his powers
of concentration to the point where he could
block out any distraction.
And he went on to be a six-time World champion
and two-time Olympic champion.
3. The Broken Wrist
A young kid named Paul Anderson gets into lifting
and starts to get really big and really strong.
But then he breaks his wrist. That means that
virtually all of his pushing and pulling exercises
are out the door.
So he specializes on squats -- and he ends up
bigger and stronger than ever -- and when his
wrist is healed, he comes back twice as good as
before -- and he wins an Olympic gold medal.
It's an incredibly common story. You see it time
and time again in the lives of the men who became
legends of the Iron Game.
And it's something that YOU can do -- something that
YOU can apply in your own training.
When you encounter an obstacle, don't view it as a
negative. See it for what it truly is -- an
opportunity.
With that mind set -- the same mind set shared by
John Grimek, Tommy Kono and Paul Anderson -- you
can accomplish anything.
As always, thanks for reading, and have a great
day. If you train today, make it a good one.
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. John Davis was another man who overcame seemingly
impossible odds to become the greatest weightlifter
of his generation -- a six time World champion and
two-time Olympic champion. You can read about John
Davis, his life and his lifting -- and how he
trained -- in my new book, BLACK IRON -- THE JOHN
DAVIS STORY:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
P.S. 2 -- You can find my other books and courses
right here at Dino Headquarters:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
Strength Training Secrets (Part 3)
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
(Here's Part 3 in "Strength Training Secrets."
This is turning into a free mini-book on real-world,
no-nonsense strength training. Hope you enjoy and
benefit from it!)
I stepped up to the barbell and began to unload
it.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Taking it down to 135."
"Why? I always use 350."
"You need to do warm-ups."
"I never do warm-ups. They're a waste of time."
"You need to do them," I said. "Everyone needs to
do them."
"But I'm busy! I don't have time for warm-ups!"
I stopped and looked at him sternly.
"If you don't have time for warm-ups, you don't
have time to train," I said.
"But -- but -- they don't build any muscle. The
weights are too light. What's the point?"
The bar was loaded to 135. I briefly considered
dropping it on him and leaving. Or better yet,
wrapping it around his neck and leaving.
It took an effort of self-control, but I managed
to stay calm and simply answer his question.
"Okay, here's the deal on warm-ups," I said.
"Number one -- warm-ups are an important part
of your workout. No, they don't trigger gains in
strength. muscle and power. It's your working sets
that do that."
"But if you skip the warm-ups, or if you don't do
them the right way, you reduce your ability to go all
out on your work sets. And that reduces your results."
"A cold muscle can generate a certain amount of
strength and power. When the same muscle is warmed up,
it can generate MORE strength and power. And when
you're lifting weights, more strength and more power
is always a good thing."
"If you don't believe me, look at any athlete in
any sport. The athlete spends plenty of time doing
focused warm-ups before going into competition."
"Olympic weightlifting champions will often begin
by warming up with a BROOMSTICK. Then they move on
up to AN EMPTY BAR. And these are incredibly strong
and powerful athletes."
I paused and looked at him.
"Does that make sense?" I asked.
He nodded slowly.
"I never thought about it that way," he said.
"Well, that's the way to start thinking about it."
He nodded slowly.
"Number two -- warm-ups help you avoid injuries.
That's simple common sense. And it's especially
true as you get older."
"I guess that makes sense," he said.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"32."
"Well, give it a few more years, and it will make
a heck of a lot more sense."
He nodded. Maybe I was starting to get through to
get through to him.
"I know a lot of guys think it's cool to run out and
grab the bar and start slamming it up and down to show
how strong they are -- but that's dumb. Those are the
very same guys who end up hurting themselves and
dropping out. Don't copy them."
He nodded again.
"Number three is really important," I said. "It involves
the mind-muscle connection."
"What's that?" he asked.
"The mind-muscle connection is what links your mind --
meaning your brain and your nervous system -- with your
muscles. the stronger the link, the more muscle fibers
you activate. "
"People who don't lift weights usually think it's all
about muscle power. It's not. It's really more about mind
power than anything else."
"To get the most out of your training, you need to get
your mind involved in your workout. You need to FOCUS.
You need to CONCENTRATE. You need to eliminate all
distractions."
"When you train, your mind should be operating at top
efficiency. You should have greater mental focus than
when you do anything else."
"That sounds zen," he said.
I nodded.
"It is, grasshopper."
He was too young to catch the allusion. I sighed, and kept
going.
"When you start training, you need to gradually warm-up
your body so it is ready for peak performance. But you
also need to do the same with your mind. You need to
clear out the fog and the cobwebs of daily life. You
need to tighten your focus and narrow your concentration.
You do that step by step, becoming more and more focused,
as you do your warm-up sets."
He looked stunned.
"Wow, I never knew warm-ups were so important," he said.
"Well, now you know."
I pointed to the bar.
"That's 135 pounds. I want five reps in perfect form, with
good, tight, focus and deep, powerful concentration."
He nodded, chalked his hands and stepped to the bar.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My books, courses, DVD's and Iron Game novels are
available right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 The best-seller of the week is my new book, Black
Iron: The John Davis Story:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
(Here's Part 3 in "Strength Training Secrets."
This is turning into a free mini-book on real-world,
no-nonsense strength training. Hope you enjoy and
benefit from it!)
I stepped up to the barbell and began to unload
it.
"What are you doing?" he asked.
"Taking it down to 135."
"Why? I always use 350."
"You need to do warm-ups."
"I never do warm-ups. They're a waste of time."
"You need to do them," I said. "Everyone needs to
do them."
"But I'm busy! I don't have time for warm-ups!"
I stopped and looked at him sternly.
"If you don't have time for warm-ups, you don't
have time to train," I said.
"But -- but -- they don't build any muscle. The
weights are too light. What's the point?"
The bar was loaded to 135. I briefly considered
dropping it on him and leaving. Or better yet,
wrapping it around his neck and leaving.
It took an effort of self-control, but I managed
to stay calm and simply answer his question.
"Okay, here's the deal on warm-ups," I said.
"Number one -- warm-ups are an important part
of your workout. No, they don't trigger gains in
strength. muscle and power. It's your working sets
that do that."
"But if you skip the warm-ups, or if you don't do
them the right way, you reduce your ability to go all
out on your work sets. And that reduces your results."
"A cold muscle can generate a certain amount of
strength and power. When the same muscle is warmed up,
it can generate MORE strength and power. And when
you're lifting weights, more strength and more power
is always a good thing."
"If you don't believe me, look at any athlete in
any sport. The athlete spends plenty of time doing
focused warm-ups before going into competition."
"Olympic weightlifting champions will often begin
by warming up with a BROOMSTICK. Then they move on
up to AN EMPTY BAR. And these are incredibly strong
and powerful athletes."
I paused and looked at him.
"Does that make sense?" I asked.
He nodded slowly.
"I never thought about it that way," he said.
"Well, that's the way to start thinking about it."
He nodded slowly.
"Number two -- warm-ups help you avoid injuries.
That's simple common sense. And it's especially
true as you get older."
"I guess that makes sense," he said.
"How old are you?" I asked.
"32."
"Well, give it a few more years, and it will make
a heck of a lot more sense."
He nodded. Maybe I was starting to get through to
get through to him.
"I know a lot of guys think it's cool to run out and
grab the bar and start slamming it up and down to show
how strong they are -- but that's dumb. Those are the
very same guys who end up hurting themselves and
dropping out. Don't copy them."
He nodded again.
"Number three is really important," I said. "It involves
the mind-muscle connection."
"What's that?" he asked.
"The mind-muscle connection is what links your mind --
meaning your brain and your nervous system -- with your
muscles. the stronger the link, the more muscle fibers
you activate. "
"People who don't lift weights usually think it's all
about muscle power. It's not. It's really more about mind
power than anything else."
"To get the most out of your training, you need to get
your mind involved in your workout. You need to FOCUS.
You need to CONCENTRATE. You need to eliminate all
distractions."
"When you train, your mind should be operating at top
efficiency. You should have greater mental focus than
when you do anything else."
"That sounds zen," he said.
I nodded.
"It is, grasshopper."
He was too young to catch the allusion. I sighed, and kept
going.
"When you start training, you need to gradually warm-up
your body so it is ready for peak performance. But you
also need to do the same with your mind. You need to
clear out the fog and the cobwebs of daily life. You
need to tighten your focus and narrow your concentration.
You do that step by step, becoming more and more focused,
as you do your warm-up sets."
He looked stunned.
"Wow, I never knew warm-ups were so important," he said.
"Well, now you know."
I pointed to the bar.
"That's 135 pounds. I want five reps in perfect form, with
good, tight, focus and deep, powerful concentration."
He nodded, chalked his hands and stepped to the bar.
TO BE CONTINUED . . .
Yours in strength,
Brooks Kubik
P.S. My books, courses, DVD's and Iron Game novels are
available right here:
http://www.brookskubik.com/products.html
P.S. 2 The best-seller of the week is my new book, Black
Iron: The John Davis Story:
http://www.brookskubik.com/blackiron_johndavis.html
The Dinos Roar!
Hail to the Dinosaurs!
We’ve been getting tons of feedback about the not so serious lifter who wanted to know “the secrets.” Here are some of the responses from hard-charging Dinos around the world. I’ll put more up later today or tomorrow:
“The secret is: Get serious, keep a lifting log, lift BY the log, consistency is the key so don't jump back and forth from one rep scheme to the next, turn your phone off, turn your TV off, quit dilly-dallying, stop getting advice from the internet, booby-building magazines and "coaches" who don't give sound advice and probably couldn't lift their way out of a wet paper bag, chalk up right the first time, get psyched if you need to and LIFT THE DAMN WEIGHT. I hope I covered all of the secrets.”
-- Jayson Duckett
“He lacks focus, concentration and a real lifting plan.
He's not putting forth a solid effort with all of his distractions.
He's trying something different every workout and listening to
too many "experts" in hopes of finding the secret weapon that
we'll make up for his lack of effort. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
The secret weapon is hard work. Get in, get it done, move on!”
-- T.C.
Is he serious? He reads your books, asks you for advise and then does what some guy on the web says instead.
He isn't structured in his training, he's all over the place, with no aim or goal for his workouts, he just wants do do it all at once.
As a result he has no focus, on a goal or even working out in the first place, he's what I call a 'victim of the information age' all that info from 135 pound hollow cheeked 'experts' on the web telling him that 5 sets of 5 will make him strong but four sets will do nothing, RUBBISH!
He needs to choose a routine (preferably from one of the dino books) and stick to it, also he needs to drop all the distractions, leave the telly off, leave the phone in the house, and if he's the type to fart around with chalk, then well don't use it!
So that's the secret I think, in short:
1 have a goal, per month, per year and per workout
2 stick to a routine that will actually achieve that goal
3 drop the distractions and just get on with it
4 stick to routines (yeah I said it twice, it's important!) it looks like he doesn't even have one.
-- Stephen Hall”
“The secret is to FOCUS and BELIEVE and KEEP IT SIMPLE and be CONSISTENT.”
-- Bob Otrando
“Consistency.....concentration.....patience.....There's a lot more. Dedication, goals and on and on and on. But if nothing else....more chalk.”
-- Mark Smallwood
“SHUT UP AND TRAIN!!!”
-- Bob Game
“Concentration is probably a good start. Kick the TV out, pitch the phone, set yourself up a program. Because the biggest secret is (Shhhhh don't tell everyone) but stop piss farting around & lift the bloody thing.”
-- Mark Fisher
“The lifter is unorganized in knowing what he wants to do and is not focus on his training and doesn’t have a log book to tell him what he done previously on his lifts that why he not getting anywhere in his training.”
-- Joseph Fiumara
“Focus on a goal. Simple as that.”
-- Tommy Alm
“The secret is FOCUS!!! Any true Dino knows that intense concentration and mental focus is the ONLY way to train productively. Besides focus the next most important thing would have to be consistency...pick a group of basic, compound movements and a set/rep scheme where you can track your progress and hit it HARD...DINO-STYLE!!!”
-- Mike Bandini
“My reactive answer is to send that guy to beauty school where he belongs so he can truly be his own inner butterfly.
The correct answer is obviously shut up, turn your phone off, throw your tv away (it’s good awkward object training), and train abbreviated, consistent, focused, with perfect form, and of course, so heavy that your neighbors will puke!”
-- Chris Clark
“Focus!”
-- Stephen Watson
“I'll tell every one once and for all the secrets to weight lifting and I've been a strength coach for over 20 years. The secrets that Brooks doesn’t put in his books, Dino Files, and e-mails is that there are no secrets. If you pay attention at all and have any kind of sense whatsoever you would already know that. The info Brooks gives us is straight out what it is all about. As Brooks tells us all the time "Just plain hard work" and "Keep it simple." The secret to weight lifting and getting as strong as possible is for people to start paying more attention to people like Brooks and the old-time strongmen mindset and quit paying any attention to the "Wannabe’s" and "Think they knows” out there. I've seen so many so called “certified trainers” that have the secrets to strength training for wrestlers and never been to a match before, let alone ever done it themself. If they only knew, it would scare them away. Practice the advice from Brooks and you will have the secrets. Period, End of Story.”
-- Coach Kem Race
“Focus and concentration not dissipation.”
- -- Algie Roberson
“I would say the secret is this; Hang the everyday events, forget the yadda yadda out there, just warm up, concentrate and actually ...... LIFT!!!”
-- Joseph Perkins
“The secret to getting stronger and bigger is actually lifting weights. Lifting the weights to load the bar while watching TV while keeping up with your peeps does very little for building real strength. (Re-Read chapter 20 of Dinosaur Training.) Real strength training involves planning, focus and dedication. Pick a program, write it down, and DO IT!”
-- Dustin Jones
“Concentrate!”
-- Greg Hull
“The mysterious secret(s) are: CONCENTRATION, SINGLE-MINDED DETERMINATION, AND BEING FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND.”
-- Sultan Magyar
We’ve been getting tons of feedback about the not so serious lifter who wanted to know “the secrets.” Here are some of the responses from hard-charging Dinos around the world. I’ll put more up later today or tomorrow:
“The secret is: Get serious, keep a lifting log, lift BY the log, consistency is the key so don't jump back and forth from one rep scheme to the next, turn your phone off, turn your TV off, quit dilly-dallying, stop getting advice from the internet, booby-building magazines and "coaches" who don't give sound advice and probably couldn't lift their way out of a wet paper bag, chalk up right the first time, get psyched if you need to and LIFT THE DAMN WEIGHT. I hope I covered all of the secrets.”
-- Jayson Duckett
“He lacks focus, concentration and a real lifting plan.
He's not putting forth a solid effort with all of his distractions.
He's trying something different every workout and listening to
too many "experts" in hopes of finding the secret weapon that
we'll make up for his lack of effort. Too many cooks spoil the broth.
The secret weapon is hard work. Get in, get it done, move on!”
-- T.C.
Is he serious? He reads your books, asks you for advise and then does what some guy on the web says instead.
He isn't structured in his training, he's all over the place, with no aim or goal for his workouts, he just wants do do it all at once.
As a result he has no focus, on a goal or even working out in the first place, he's what I call a 'victim of the information age' all that info from 135 pound hollow cheeked 'experts' on the web telling him that 5 sets of 5 will make him strong but four sets will do nothing, RUBBISH!
He needs to choose a routine (preferably from one of the dino books) and stick to it, also he needs to drop all the distractions, leave the telly off, leave the phone in the house, and if he's the type to fart around with chalk, then well don't use it!
So that's the secret I think, in short:
1 have a goal, per month, per year and per workout
2 stick to a routine that will actually achieve that goal
3 drop the distractions and just get on with it
4 stick to routines (yeah I said it twice, it's important!) it looks like he doesn't even have one.
-- Stephen Hall”
“The secret is to FOCUS and BELIEVE and KEEP IT SIMPLE and be CONSISTENT.”
-- Bob Otrando
“Consistency.....concentration.....patience.....There's a lot more. Dedication, goals and on and on and on. But if nothing else....more chalk.”
-- Mark Smallwood
“SHUT UP AND TRAIN!!!”
-- Bob Game
“Concentration is probably a good start. Kick the TV out, pitch the phone, set yourself up a program. Because the biggest secret is (Shhhhh don't tell everyone) but stop piss farting around & lift the bloody thing.”
-- Mark Fisher
“The lifter is unorganized in knowing what he wants to do and is not focus on his training and doesn’t have a log book to tell him what he done previously on his lifts that why he not getting anywhere in his training.”
-- Joseph Fiumara
“Focus on a goal. Simple as that.”
-- Tommy Alm
“The secret is FOCUS!!! Any true Dino knows that intense concentration and mental focus is the ONLY way to train productively. Besides focus the next most important thing would have to be consistency...pick a group of basic, compound movements and a set/rep scheme where you can track your progress and hit it HARD...DINO-STYLE!!!”
-- Mike Bandini
“My reactive answer is to send that guy to beauty school where he belongs so he can truly be his own inner butterfly.
The correct answer is obviously shut up, turn your phone off, throw your tv away (it’s good awkward object training), and train abbreviated, consistent, focused, with perfect form, and of course, so heavy that your neighbors will puke!”
-- Chris Clark
“Focus!”
-- Stephen Watson
“I'll tell every one once and for all the secrets to weight lifting and I've been a strength coach for over 20 years. The secrets that Brooks doesn’t put in his books, Dino Files, and e-mails is that there are no secrets. If you pay attention at all and have any kind of sense whatsoever you would already know that. The info Brooks gives us is straight out what it is all about. As Brooks tells us all the time "Just plain hard work" and "Keep it simple." The secret to weight lifting and getting as strong as possible is for people to start paying more attention to people like Brooks and the old-time strongmen mindset and quit paying any attention to the "Wannabe’s" and "Think they knows” out there. I've seen so many so called “certified trainers” that have the secrets to strength training for wrestlers and never been to a match before, let alone ever done it themself. If they only knew, it would scare them away. Practice the advice from Brooks and you will have the secrets. Period, End of Story.”
-- Coach Kem Race
“Focus and concentration not dissipation.”
- -- Algie Roberson
“I would say the secret is this; Hang the everyday events, forget the yadda yadda out there, just warm up, concentrate and actually ...... LIFT!!!”
-- Joseph Perkins
“The secret to getting stronger and bigger is actually lifting weights. Lifting the weights to load the bar while watching TV while keeping up with your peeps does very little for building real strength. (Re-Read chapter 20 of Dinosaur Training.) Real strength training involves planning, focus and dedication. Pick a program, write it down, and DO IT!”
-- Dustin Jones
“Concentrate!”
-- Greg Hull
“The mysterious secret(s) are: CONCENTRATION, SINGLE-MINDED DETERMINATION, AND BEING FOCUSED ON THE TASK AT HAND.”
-- Sultan Magyar
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